Here’s a tip for travellers not related directly to Portugal. When you go away, resist the temptation to talk about it on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, because you may as well be putting up a sign in the window for burglars to read.

Last year the launch of a website called PleaseRobMe came about because of people’s openness on Foursquare – they announce where they are all the time, so anyone with a bit of will can work out when they are away from home and for how long. So, if you are always online boasting about your new iPhone, iPad and other techno wizardry, and then telling the world when you are away on holiday, don’t be surprised to come home to a human turd in your bed and your house having been ransacked.

This week, the same theme cropped up again as social media commentator Mashable said burglars are using Twitter to find out when people are away from home. They wrote, “Credit Sesame, a personal finance tool and website, conducted a survey of 50 ex-burglars in the UK. Nearly 80% of them said they had used Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare to target which properties to rob.”

So, my advice is say nothing, until you are back with a tan and a bottle of souvenir port.